Dominican American

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Dominican American
Alex Rodriguez Zoe Saldana Manny Ramirez
Aventura
Flag of the Dominican Republic Flag of the United States
Total population

1,217,225
0.4% of the US population (2006)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Washington Heights,New York
Language(s)
American English, Dominican Spanish
Religion(s)
Predominately Roman Catholic
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A Dominican American or Dominican-York[2] is an immigrant or descendant of immigrants from the Dominican Republic to the United States. Historic immigration records of Dominicans in the United States date from the late 1800s, and New York City had a Dominican community since the 1930s. From the 1960s onward, after the fall of the Rafael Trujillo military regime, large waves of migration have thoroughly transnationalized the Dominican Republic, metaphorically blurring its frontier with the United States. According to the 2006 American Community Survey, there are approximately 1.2 million people of Dominican descent in the US, both native and foreign-born.

Contents

Since the early 1960s, economic problems and political turmoil in the Dominican Republic have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the U.S., mainly to east coast cities, particularly New York City, New York (Washington Heights, Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx and Brooklyn), Westchester County, New York, Paterson, New Jersey, Passaic, New Jersey, Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, R.I., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland, and smaller waves of Dominicans into Houston, Texas, Kansas City, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana and Miami, Florida. Dominican Americans have settled in these areas largely because of the already existing and growing Latino community found in these places, having come on the heels of a similar migration of Puerto Ricans. Although Dominicans have been in the United States since the 1960s, almost half of all the Dominican Americans today have arrived since the 1990s. New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood on the northwestern tip of Manhattan, is so densely populated by Dominican Americans that it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. ("Quisqueya" is a popular name for Hispaniola that many believe derives from the island's original Taino name.) Dominican Americans are now one of the largest Hispanic groups in the United States; less numerous than the Mexican American majority and Puerto Ricans, and out numbering Cuban Americans. Currently the largest concentrations of Dominican Americans are in New York (1,500,000), Florida (455,968), and New Jersey (170,630) out of a total Dominican American population of over 3,000,000.[3]

Many Dominicans have also settled in Puerto Rico (56,146) by makeshift boats called "yolas". Although thousands of Dominicans illegally migrate this way every year, many are apprehended by the United States Coast Guard while others perish during the harsh, dangerous journey across the Mona Channel.

The ten US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Dominican ancestry are[4]

  1. Haverstraw (village), New York 26.95%
  2. Lawrence, Massachusetts 22.47%
  3. Perth Amboy, New Jersey 18.81%
  4. Passaic, New Jersey 13.06%
  5. Sleepy Hollow, New York 12.67%
  6. Union City, New Jersey 11.46%
  7. Haverstraw (town), New York 11.13%
  8. Paterson, New Jersey 10.27%
  9. Bronx, New York 20.00%
  10. Manhattan, New York 8.87%

A significant number of Dominican Americans are young first generation immigrants without a higher education. Many Dominican Americans also come from the rural countryside of the Dominican Republic. Many are poor, "undocumented", and have language barriers as well. Second generation Dominican Americans are overwhelmingly more educated than their first generation counterparts, as reflected by their higher incomes and employment in professional or skilled occupations. Over 21% of all second-generation Dominican Americans have college degrees, slightly below the national average (24%) but significantly higher than U.S. born Mexicans (13%) and U.S. born Puerto Ricans (12%). [5] Thus, this signals that Dominican Americans are progressing and adjusting themselves to American society.

Dominican immigrants have a long way to go in the process of political empowerment, but signs of improvement are already visible. The U.S. House of Representatives does not yet have a Dominican member, although at least two dozen Dominican Americans are elected as councilmembers, county legislators, and state legislatures throughout the United States. The majority of Dominican elected officials are in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Massachusetts. There are also Dominican Americans elected in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.[6]

The electoral participation of Dominicans in the United States may improve as a result of the 1994 approval of dual citizenship by the Dominican legislature, which makes it easier for migrants to become U.S. citizens without relinquishing their Dominican nationality.[7] A 1997 Dominican law, which took effect in 2004, allows Dominicans living abroad to retain their Dominican citizenship and voting rights, even if they become citizens of another country. Traditionally, Dominicans living in the U.S. are passionately involved in politics "back home," but unlike other Spanish-speaking ethnic groups, such as Cuban Americans and Mexican Americans, Dominican Americans are not as inclined to take an active part in U.S. politics, partly because many dream of eventually returning to the island.[8]

Since 1980, the Census Bureau has asked U.S. residents to classify their race separately from their Hispanic origin, if any. In 1990, 29.2% of Dominican Americans responded that they were white, while 30% considered themselves black. A plurality chose the "other" category--39.8% of the total.[9] The prevalence of the "other race" category probably reflects the large number of people with mixed African, European and Amerindian ancestry, usually grouped under the folk term indio in the Dominican Republic (73% of the Dominicans are mixed African, Taino Amerinidan and European descent).[citation needed]

The 2007 Dominican Day Parade
The 2007 Dominican Day Parade

Music is the heart of the Dominican culture. Dominican music includes merengue and bachata, a modification of bolero. Bachata, as well as hip hop, and reggaeton, has become popular among many Dominican American youth.

Almost 90% of all Dominican Americans are Roman Catholics. Dominican Catholics are involved in the cult of the saints, and the cult of the national virgins, Altagracia and Mercedes, which are as strong symbols of Dominican identity as the flag.

Dominican food features white rice, habichuelas (beans), yuca, plantains, mangu, beef, and sancocho.

Dominican Day Parade is one of the biggest parades in New York City.

One individual Santiago Luis Polanco Rodríguez better known by the street name "Yayo" was an infamous head of a drug cartel based in Washington Heights considered to be the first mass marketer of crack cocaine in US. [1]. He currently lives a life of luxury in the Dominican Republic. [2]. While living in the Dominican Republic it is alleged that he continues to oversee the New York operations. [3] The Dominican based gang Dominicans Don't Play have been involved in many acts of violence throughout the United States [4] and Spain [5]. In New York, the numbers of "DDP" has carved out a niche for itself following immigration patterns in Washington Heights and the Bronx.There is also another Dominican gang called the Trinitarios which has its origins in the New York Prison system. Currently there is an ongoing war between the DDP and the Trinitarios.[6]. There exists a current rivalry between that of the DDP and the Bloods. [7] [8]

The Dominicans and Dominican Americans have made great strides in the field of baseball as it is the top sport in the Dominican Republic. Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero,David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez and Hall of Fame member Juan Marichal are just a few of the many famous Dominican baseball players. Baseball isn't the only sport with Dominican American figures, the NBA has Charlie Villanueva, born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, NY. also Francisco Garcia and Al Horford. Luis Flores played one season in the NBA before goin to Europe...he attended Manhattan College. In the NFL there is Luis Castillo of the San Diego Chargers and Tutan Reyes of the Carolina Panthers.

Dominican Americans have also contributed major literary works on their experiences in the US. Two of the best known are Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies, and Junot Diaz, author of Drown. Oscar De La Renta is one of the most recognized names in the fashion industry.

Among the many well known Dominican American politicians include former New York City Councilman Guillermo Linares (currently Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs for the City of New York), New York State Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, New York State Assemblyman Jose Peralta, New York City Councilman Miguel Martinez, New York City Councilwoman Diana Reyna, Rhode Island State Senator Juan Pichardo, Rhode Island State Representative Grace Diaz, Trenton NJ Councilman Manuel Segura, Allentown, PA Councilman Julio Guridy, Massachusetts State Representative William Lantigua, first Dominican Supreme Court Judge Rolando T. Acosta and many more. Dr. Rosa Perez-Perdomo, who is Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is the highest ranking Dominican appointed official in the United States as she is the only gubernatorial cabinet-level appointment in the country. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez was Commissioner of Health for the state of Texas from 2001 to 2006.[citation needed]

Zoe Saldaña is a young promising actress born in New Jersey to Dominican immigrants. Michelle Rodriguez, born of a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father, is well known for her roles in the television series Lost and movies The Fast and the Furious, S.W.A.T., and Resident Evil. Merlin Santana was a well-known actor from New York City whose parents are Dominican. His most notable role was as Romeo on the Steve Harvey Show. He died in November 2002.

Many Dominicans exist in the New York rap scene. J. R. Writer of Dipset is Dominican and fellow member Juelz Santana also is mixed with Dominican ancestary. Fabolous and AZ are also half African American Half Dominican rappers from New York. Magic Juan, formerly of the merengue hip-hop group Proyecto Uno, is considered to be the pioneer behind the growth of merenhouse and merenrap. JuJu from the Beatnuts is also Dominican.


  1. ^ United States - Selected Population Profile in the United States (Dominican (Dominican Republic)). Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
  2. ^ The terms "Dominican American" and "Dominican York" are rarely used among the community in the US. Recent studies in New York suggest most favored calling themselves simply "Dominican" - see Jorge Duany, El Barrio Gandul, Economia subterranea y migracion indocumentada en Puerto Rico, 1995
  3. ^ Logan 2006; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1990 and 2000 Censuses of Population and Housing - note, other estimates have been much higher, see www.albany.edu/mumford
  4. ^ http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Dominican-Republic.html
  5. ^ Max J. Castro, The Dominican Diaspora Revisited, Dominicans and Dominican-Americans in a New Century, 2002
  6. ^ Dominican American National Roundtable
  7. ^ Jorge Duany, Los Paises
  8. ^ Yahaira Castro, Dominican Republic: Dual Citizens, Frontline World. October 26, 2004
  9. ^ Rodriguez, Carla E. Changing Race: Latinos, the Census, and the History of Ethnicity in the United States, New York University Press 2000, p. 9

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